Valve for automatic piano-players.



No. 862,002. PATENTED JULY 80, 1907. A. MURINO. VALVE FOR AUTOMATIC PIANO PLAYERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1905.

Aiforizey UNITED STAIEELSHPIETENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO MURINO, OF NEW YORK N. Y.

VALVE FOR AUTOMATIC PIANO-PLAYERS.

To an wnom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTONIO hIURINO, a citizen of the United States oi America, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valves for Automatic Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification,

The invention relates to an improvement in automatic piano players and particularly to a novel valve construction therefor.

The maiii oln'ec t of the present invention resides in the production of avalve for use in automatic piano players and designed to automatically control the admission of air to the key operating mechanism, whereby,

to regulate'the ope faring force of said mechanism and I tliol'eby the loudness of tone produced.

The invention consists in certain details of construe tiori andcombination of parts, which will be described in the-following specification, reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is-ayertical sectional view oi one end of the piano player, illustrating the valve controlling mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sect ion of the same. Fig; 3 is an enlarged broken vertical section of the ya we strubture.

Referring to th drawings, 1 represents the boxoiany desired pipe orpiano playcr, divided horizontally into chambers 2, 3, t and'5, each of which chambers 4 and 5 is divided by vertical partitions ti, providing independent chambers equal in number to the number of keys of the piano, and each containing a controlling alve mechanism. It is to be understood that the chambers 2, 3, 4 and 5 are in vert ical alinemcnt, andtogether constitute a single operatingset lor the key of the piano. The chamber 2, hereinafter termed the controlling chamber, islocated at the lower end of the box 1, and is of less diameter than the remaining chambers. The controlling chamber is in communication with the atmosphere through the usual tube 7, the inlet being controlled by theopenings in the music sheet. The

chamber 3 hereinafter termed the exhaust chamber, is

at all times in direct communication with the exhaust bellows (not shown) and designed to be constantly under the influence of the said bellows, as is usual. The chamber 4, hereinafter termed the valve chamber, is in direct communication through a channel 8 with the key operating mechanism, shown in the present in-- stance as an operating bellowsl).

The present invention is directed to a valve mechanism designed to control the admission of air to the exhaust char. '10) 3 from the valve chamber 4 whereby to draw a greater or less quantity of air from the key operating mechanism and thereby regulatethe active force Specification of Letters Eatent.

Application filed Julie 23,1905. Serial No. 286,608.

Patented July 30, 1907.

of said mechanism, To this end my valve mechanism comprises a flexible diaphragm l0 overlying the edges of the controlling chamber 2 and sealing the same against the exhaust chamber 3, this diaphragm being secured in any desirable manner to insure a complete scaling of this chamber, with the exception of a small bleed opening l0. The diaphragm is centrally perforated to receive the reduced end ll of a valve stem 12, securing washers l3 encircling the reduced portion 11 of the valve stem on each side ol the diaphragm, whereby to secure said stem in place and provide for the ready operation of the valve.

Beyond the portion 12 the valve stem is enlarged at 14 to form a cylindrical body longitudinally slotted at. 15 said bridy being of a length to normally project through an opening in the partition intermediate the exhaust and valve chambers, the upper end ol the body being provided with a reduced vertically extending stud l6, designed to receive a valve disk l7, of greater d iamctrical extent than the body and serving to contactwiththc upper surface of the horizontal partition between the exhaust and valve chambers and thereby limit the downward movement of the body. lly preference the disk 17 is of sectional formation and of such material as to provide for-posit ively scaling the opening in said partition when the valve is in normal or closed position. i

The stud It} is longitudinally bored at l8,'and interiorly threaded to adjinui'bIy receive the threaded lower end of the adjusting rod it), which extends vortically through the valve chamber 4 and chamber 5, terminally projecting beyond the upper wall oi the box and being there provided with a handle end 20, prelcrably formed by suitably bcndingthe rod, as illus tratcd. 2]. presents a stop, preferably circular in plan and designed for threaded engagement With the adjust ing rod 19, said stop being located within the valve chamber 4 and under normal conditions spaced a slight distance from the transverse partition between chambers 4 and 5. By this arrangement the valve is per mitted an upward movement coextensive with the space normally existing between the stop 21 and the partition between chambers 4 and 5, as will be evident. v The longitudinally arranged slot 15 in the. body 14 extends entirely through said body and is of a length to terminate just below thestop or valve disk 17', so that when said collar is in normal position, said slot is closed against the valve chamber.

It is to be understood, of course, that the exhaust bellows constantly causes exhaust in the chamber 3,

which will when the body 14 is elevated, act through channclS and bellows 9 to collapse said bellows, and that upon the closing oi-the disk carried by body 14 and the opening of the valve disk 17 the air under'atmosl pheric pressure will pass through the opening in the partition between chambers 4 and 5 and restore the bellows to normal condition.

the tube 7 to the ehamberZ, by register of the openings in the music sheet into said tube, will force the central portion of the diaphragm upward} thereby moving the body and causing the open end of its slot 15to project 10 within the valve chamber, while the lower end of said slot remains within the exhaust chamber. Communication is thus established between the exhaust and valve chambers and the air from the latter will be drawn through the latter and thence to the exhaust bellows.

Under the influence of the air in the controlling chamber the body'will be vertically moved-until the disk 17 contacts with the partition between chambers 4 and 5, and as the stop 21 which supports the disk 17 is vertically adjustable with the relation to the body 14,

through an obvious operation of the adjusting rod 19, it

is evident that I inay readily control the quantity of air exhausted in a given time from the bellows Qfand therebyreadily regulatethe volume of tone produced. .Upon cessation of the pressure within the controlling 25 chamber the parts return to normal position, shutting off communication between the exhaust chamber and the valve chamber.

Theoperation of my improved valve is as .iollows: 5 The air under atmospheric pressure, admitted through The valve parts are few in number and the valve as a Whole, simple-in construction, the arrangement being such as to be readily adjustable to provide for the volume desired.

A piano player including an exhaust mechanism and key operating mechanism and Comprising an exhaust'chamher in communication with-the exhaust mechanism, a valve chamber in open communication with the key operating 'rcchanism and frrmed with an atmospherlc vent, a controlling chamber arranged below the exhaust chamber, a

diaphragm closingthe controlling chamber against the exhaust chamberya valveoperable in the valve chamber and normally closing the latter against the exhaust chamher, and a stem depending from saidvalve 'and connected ofthe'diaplu-aem, said stembeing formedwith a trans versely disposed port opening through the walls of the stem, :1 rod adjustably crnnec'ted to the valve and extending through and beyond the valve chamber, and a stop secured on the rod and operating to control the atmos-' Having thus described the invention, 'what 1013i) 

